Poll: What's your religion?

[The Iron Ninja]

I left Christianity not because I didn't believe in God, but because I couldn't believe in the Devil. I could never buy into the idea of eternal punishment for temporal action, and I could never buy into the idea of an external cause to temptation or suffering. It seems a way of shirking responsibility.

On the other hand, I could never buy into the idea of heaven or reincarnation as a means of escape. Just as eternal punishment for an individual seems unjust, any sort of eternal reward for an individual rubs me the wrong way.

This isn't necessarily what I believe exists, it's more like how I think things ought to work.

People are reborn but there's no getting out, you never progress, you never leave this world, you just keep coming back, not on your own anyway. Your reward for making the world a better place is to return to a world that is better than it was your last time through. If you made it worse, or even just let things decay for lack of involvement, then your punishment is to come back to a world that's fallen a little further down the hole. So maybe you were an utter shit in your last life and you are reborn as one of the blessed and priviledge - were you punished? No, you don't get punished in this system. What you get is increased odds of coming back miserable. Or happy, if you manage to take your priviledge and blessings and try to repair the collective damage.

Russian roulette - you pull the trigger every time, so are you adding bullets to the Cosmic Gun or taking them away? This life, you put it to your head and hear a click. Empty. But what about the next pull of the trigger? You keep putting ammo in that thing, one of these lives you are going to be born into bullets. If one day the gun comes up totally empty, then maybe that's the day we all go to heaven together. If one day the gun is fully loaded, maybe that's the end of the apocalypse. Until then, I just try to take the bullets out.

No offence, but you scare the crap out of me.

 

[magnus gallant]

if i were to be religious, id be buddhist,it seems to be the only real religion without the mindles politics and mindgames

but i dont really believe in god so im a nihilist, i dont believe in god, or a sense of morality, in the way that i dont believe one choice is better than another in the long run

 

[LadyZephyr]

True, it is exciting, terrifying at times, at other glorious. But still, you can't (at least at the moment) wax philosophically with only science. YOu can explain a thing but not express its art.

If you don't find art in the scope of the universe and what we don't know... I feel sorry for you.

insert reincarnation model here

No offence, but you scare the crap out of me.

I'll be contrary. I think that's a pretty awesome belief system.

 

[Matthew Alexander]

True, it is exciting, terrifying at times, at other glorious. But still, you can't (at least at the moment) wax philosophically with only science. YOu can explain a thing but not express its art.

If you don't find art in the scope of the universe and what we don't know... I feel sorry for you.

I'll be contrary. I think that's a pretty awesome belief system.[/quote]

Oh, I find art it. It just can't be expressed in the language of science. I could use a scientific explanation of our planet or I could refer to it as the glorious jewel adrift in the heavens, full of life and thought. A pure gift of random chance, our blessed mother earth. You see what I'm getting at here, its more semantics then anything, however it is more fulfilling to have something expressed in such a manner.

 

[birdbrain18]

athiest all the way

 

[LadyZephyr]

True, it is exciting, terrifying at times, at other glorious. But still, you can't (at least at the moment) wax philosophically with only science. YOu can explain a thing but not express its art.

If you don't find art in the scope of the universe and what we don't know... I feel sorry for you.

Oh, I find art it. It just can't be expressed in the language of science. I could use a scientific explanation of our planet or I could refer to it as the glorious jewel adrift in the heavens, full of life and thought. A pure gift of random chance, our blessed mother earth. You see what I'm getting at here, its more semantics then anything, however it is more fulfilling to have something expressed in such a manner.

OH! Okay. But I don't call that mystifying. It's being descriptive and prosey.

 

[gamebrain89]

Ok here goes.
Im a Jehovah's Witness. and before people go off about how we try to "force" our religion on someone, I need to say, your reasoning is flawed. We cant force anything on you, just like i cant stuff a dachsund down your throat. When we come to your door, we are not trying to convert you, we are just there to share an interesting scriptural thought, and maybe some free, bible based literature. Also, if you dont want to talk to any JW that comes to your door, be polite about it. we are humans too. say, thanks for your time, but we are not interested, and gently shut your door. we dont like having the door slammed in our faces anymore than you like getting your face slapped. be civil about it, and for the most part, we will accept that. true, there are some real hardcore people out there, but that is any religion. So yeah, theres my answer, may the HATE begin!!!

 

[Divine-Darkness]

Non-religious, and agnostic...

Call me indecisive, or the "pussy version of atheist" see if I give 2 sh*ts

Religion is other pplz deal, and I'm not getting into that. I'm not hating it, but I'm not joining anything (There IS such a thing as TRUE NEUTRAL!)

 

[BlackWaltz3]

Maybe God is beyond your current understanding.

What god?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Ok here goes.
Im a Jehovah's Witness.

*applauds* Good to see we have so many different belief systems. Though I'm a little perturbed about the 'no new blood' bit.

 

[The Iron Ninja]

Can you imagine what would happen if I went up to people's houses and said "Hi, I'd like to interest you in atheism! any takers?" I'd get shot.

So despite how annoying I find them, I will admit that Jehovah's witnesses have got balls.

 

[Divine-Darkness]

Ok here goes.
Im a Jehovah's Witness. and before people go off about how we try to "force" our religion on someone, I need to say, your reasoning is flawed. We cant force anything on you, just like i cant stuff a dachsund down your throat. When we come to your door, we are not trying to convert you, we are just there to share an interesting scriptural thought, and maybe some free, bible based literature. Also, if you dont want to talk to any JW that comes to your door, be polite about it. we are humans too. say, thanks for your time, but we are not interested, and gently shut your door. we dont like having the door slammed in our faces anymore than you like getting your face slapped. be civil about it, and for the most part, we will accept that. true, there are some real hardcore people out there, but that is any religion. So yeah, theres my answer, may the HATE begin!!!

Hopefully every other douchebag who likes to shoot their mouths off read this guy. I may not be the biggest fan of JW, but for Christ's Sake (no pun intended) I'm glad one of them decided to stand up and say this (because I'm in no place to, but I can damn well enforce it).

Good Job, man, Good Job

 

[ignosco]

I was raised and always have been Christian. I'm thankful for that since it's not as common as it used to be. I wouldn't say it's religion though but belief since it is believing that god exists and Jesus died for us.

 

[Razzle Bathbone]

Authoritarians of all stripes, both religious and non-religious, always claim that rulers are needed to prevent humanity from indulging in its basest instincts. But that leaves us with another question: aren't the rulers subject to the same instincts as the ruled?

To reference Plato the guardians and rulers must be told a noble lie. That they are special and superior, and that they rule and protect for the weak, empty-headed lower classes. They must be made to think they rule because it is right, not because they can.

Ugh. That lie is not my idea of noble. I'll take chaos and anarchy, thanks.
Plato took a dim view of human nature because of what happened to his mentor Socrates. Too bad he didn't seem to notice that it was the noble elite who did it. Perhaps he'd have less hate for the masses if he'd been able to see that more clearly.

 

[Razzle Bathbone]

(something about paradox and contradition

I would argue that that it is not all good. Why do theists live with that, with not knowing the truth and with accepting their belief system's flawed answers. Some evanglicals handwave away all the contradictions and ignore evidence pushed against their beliefs, but if you're right and others just accept these contradictions... what kind of way is that to live? If there is something in your beliefs that you know is paradoxical and inconsistent, why continue to believe that way?

:honestly boggled:

I can only speak for myself: because I believe the universe itself is paradoxical and contradictory.

By approaching the matter from that perspective, I am able to devise models for how the universe can, say, have determinism and free will both at once. I can find my own peace with the universe and function effectively within it.

The thing is, I can't very well expect other people to take me seriously with beliefs like that. This is fine with me, but if I were of a more authoritarian bent, I would need more authoritative answers. This approach of mine is only useful from a personal point of view. It is of no use in science, education, legislation or social control. And I'm fine with that. I couldn't push my beliefs on others if I tried; they'd just laugh at me, and so they should.

 

[Razzle Bathbone]

A question I always wanted to ask: as a jew, isn't christianity a religion which believes in more than one god?

Yes and no. Christians are rather like Hindus. They believe in one god with multiple faces or aspects. Whether it's three (like most Protestant denominations) or hundreds (like Hinduism or Catholicism with its many saints), they're all part of the same godhead.

Think of it like the Kabbalah. The sphere of Kether is absolute God, but the nature of God is found in all ten spheres. Does that help clear it up?

 

[ike_luv]

I'm Christian, but am not part of any religion. I believe in God, but I don't believe in persecuting people for their "sins" or forcing religion onto people. And if this website is any indication, gamers are generally atheists.

In short, I'm with this guy...

 

[Razzle Bathbone]

I could be wrong, but any sect of Buddhist monks who conduct violent activities are more along the lines of extremists in my eyes, and are corrupting the very clear message of non-violence in the earliest Buddhist teachings.

Christians who do not turn the other cheek are, in the eyes of some, not true Christians.
The problem in most cases isn't in the teachings. It's in the absolute certainty that MY teachings are correct and YOUR teachings are wrong and therefore evil. Extremism is everywhere. Authoritarianism is everywhere. Even in the most outwardly benign religions. We all need to be careful of that tendency within ourselves.

 

[Stalington]

Christ is my homeboy!
I believe in a personal relationship with god, I just dont understand how some people can believe that theres nothing more to life then this

 

[sabotstarr]

Athiest.....
but if i could id be a Buddhist Norse.